Saturday, Dec. 3: Jacob

Read Gen. 28:10-22

God not only makes promises to his people, he confirms those promises. The story of Jacob’s ladder is one of those confirmations. God had made promises to Abraham, Jacob’s grandfather, and to Isaac, Jacob’s father. If we put ourselves in Jacob’s shoes, though, promises made to me would be more encouraging than promises made to my ancestors. God does that for Jacob. God promises to complete what he promises through Jacob as well.

The dream of the ladder is a picture of heaven being opened so that we can have access to God. In that dream, God is on earth with Jacob, beside him, speaking to him (v. 13). God wants his dwelling place to be with man, as he says throughout the Bible. God is granting access to himself for Jacob. God is also pointing forward, in this dream, to the one who will give ultimate access to him, Jesus. Jesus himself said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man” (John 1:51). It’s not just a dream; it’s a promise for us that God will dwell with us. We can have confident access to God and his holy place through Jesus (Heb. 10:19–20). Rejoice in that promise today.